Washington – The outgoing top U.S. general in Iraq diplomatically aired his differences with the commander in chief on Thursday, telling lawmakers that President Bush has ordered thousands more troops into Iraq than are needed to tamp down violence in Baghdad.

Gen. George Casey’s testimony came one day after critics of Bush’s revised war strategy merged two competing Senate resolutions criticizing Bush’s plans.

Casey quickly qualified his criticism of troop numbers, saying he understood how his recently confirmed successor, Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, could want the full complement of 21,500 additional troops that Bush has ordered to Iraq. Casey said they could “either reinforce success, maintain momentum or put more forces in a place where the plans are not working.”

As the general spoke at a confirmation hearing into his nomination to become Army chief of staff, the full Senate lurched toward a widely anticipated debate on the administration’s policy.

The White House spent Thursday working to hold down the number of GOP defections, while two liberal Democrats attacked the compromise resolution as too weak. An early test vote on the issue is tentatively set for Monday.

“It is essentially an endorsement of the status quo, an endorsement I simply cannot make in light of the dire circumstances in Iraq and the need for meaningful action now,” said Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, who is seeking the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

Criticism for the general

Casey endured occasional sharp criticism as he appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“I do not in any way question your honor, your patriotism or your service to our country. I do question some of the decisions and judgments you have made over the past 2 1/2 years as commander of multinational forces in Iraq,” said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. “During that time, things have gotten markedly and progressively worse, and the situation in Iraq can now best be described as dire and deteriorating.”

So far, no senators have announced plans to oppose Casey’s elevation to chief of staff, although McCain, as well as Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., said they were undecided how to vote.

In the peculiar politics surrounding the Iraq war, the three lawmakers are among the strongest critics of the nonbinding legislation. It would criticize the president’s decision to increase troop levels as a way of stabilizing Baghdad nearly four years after Saddam Hussein was forced from power.

They said they intend to advance an alternative measure setting out the goals that should be met by the Iraqi government, and pledging whatever resources Petraeus requests.

“Best chance” for victory

“We’ve come to the conclusion that the Petraeus strategy … to buy some time for political reconciliation is our best chance for victory,” Graham said.

Critics of the war, including most Senate Democrats and several Republicans, appeared to be coalescing around a revised measure advanced by Sen. John Warner, R-Va., and a group of lawmakers of both parties. It says the Senate “disagrees with the ‘plan’ to augment our forces by 21,500, and urges the president instead to consider all options and alternatives.”

Many Democrats had been supporters of a stronger measure, one declaring that Bush’s plan for more troops was “not in the national interest.”

That criticism was jettisoned Wednesday night as Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada maneuvered to pick up Republican votes.

Additionally, the new measure says Congress “should not take any action that will endanger United States military forces in the field, including the elimination or reduction of funds for troops in the field,” a provision that Republicans said was designed to outflank Democrats eager to rein in Bush’s policy.

Closed-door caucus

Several officials said Reid told a closed-door caucus during the day that lawmakers would have an opportunity to vote for binding restrictions on Bush’s war policy in the coming months.

Reid left open the possibility Thursday that he will bring in South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson, who’s recuperating from brain surgery, if Democrats need his vote to move the resolution forward.

“We’ll have to see. He’s doing very well,” Reid said in a brief interview.

But Johnson’s chief of staff said later that while the senator is making good progress, he physically wouldn’t be able to return to the Senate by next week.

While Reid stressed that there was no firm plan to try to get Johnson to the Senate to vote, the fact that he was willing to consider it demonstrates how fluid the parliamentary situation remains.

Separately Thursday, the Congressional Budget Office said Bush’s plans would cost $9 billion to $14 billion for a four- month deployment, depending on the number of support troops.

Casey’s comments marked a rarity, a four-star general pulling back the veil on high-level differences expressed in advance of a presidential decision.

The White House seemed unperturbed. “What Gen. Casey was talking about is some suggestions he’d made earlier. The president has made his decision, and it does reflect the wisdom of a number of combatant commanders and it does have the assent of Gen. Casey,” said presidential spokesman Tony Snow.